The latest winter hotel promotion to be announced is Hilton's "More Nights, More Points" for stays during the first quarter of 2011.

Offer Details

Between January 3 and March 31, 2011, Hilton HHonors members can earn up to quadruple points for qualifying stays of two or more nights at Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton, and Homewood Suites hotels.

Among airline marketers of a certain age, there are more than a few who would lay claim to having fathered airline frequent flyer programs, and by extension the modern theory and practice of loyalty marketing generally.

But really, frequent flyer programs are the product of airline deregulation; and the father of deregulation—and hence of travel loyalty programs—was the economist Alfred Kahn.

It was Kahn who, as Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board under Jimmy Carter, oversaw (and vigorously promoted) the deregulation of the industry, leading to the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. The rest—discount carriers, mileage programs, convoluted pricing schemes, labor discord, financial instability—is history.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kahn several times over many years, and he was unfailingly kind and accommodating—in spite of the fact that I sometimes challenged his unwavering faith in the free market....read more»

Elite status is normally awarded for flights or room nights earned during a calendar year. Elite-qualifying points (EQPs) earned during 2010, for instance, count toward 2011 status. But EQPs earned in excess of one elite threshold but below the next-higher threshold are superfluous.

Example: You earned 35,000 EQPs during 2009. Your program awards silver status at 25,000 points, and gold at 50,000. So on the strength of your 35,000 EQPs, you enjoyed the perks associated with silver status throughout 2010. But the 10,000 EQPs you earned over and above the silver qualification requirement? They're wiped off the books. On January 1, 2010, the EQP clock reset to zero for earning 2011 status.

There has always been a contingent of frequent travelers who railed against that policy. Why, they argued, should those 10,000 EQPs disappear into the ether? Shouldn't they count ... somehow ... toward something?...read more»

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By the summer of 2013, Delta will add more than 1,200 first-class seats to its fleet. That's over and above the recent addition of first-class seating on all Delta Connection regional jets with more than 60 seats.

For context, that amounts to a 13 percent increase the the airline's supply of first-class seats, which account for 11 percent of Delta's total seating.

Bottom line: According to Delta, the airline already has more first-class seats than its competitors, and it's adding even more. In addition, "Delta also is the only U.S. carrier to offer a First Class cabin on every domestic flight longer than 750 miles, or approximately 2.5 hours."...read more»

Starwood has just announced its "Great Weeks, Grand Weekends" promotion for stays during the first quarter of 2011, affording travelers yet another glimpse of the future promotional landscape as the hotel industry rebounds from the recent travel slump.

Offer Details

Between January 3 and April 15, 2011, Starwood Preferred Guest members can earn double points for all nights, plus an additional 500 points for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, at "more than 930 participating" Starwood family hotels. (There are around 1,025 Starwood properties, which means that almost 100 hotels are not participating in this offer. Confirm in advance.)

Registration is required, beginning on January 3, 2011, and by March 31, 2011.

Deal or No Deal

Double points, plus the booster bonus for weekend nights, make for a decent bonus.

Of course, the value of any promotion is relative to the value of competing incentives....read more»

About Up Front with Tim Winship

Every weekday, travel expert Tim Winship offers his take on the latest news from the frequent flyer world, and weighs in on the newest airline and hotel award promotions. From the best deals to offers to avoid, Tim brings his three decades of expertise to the Up Front blog. Email him at ff@smartertravel.com.